The best sellers of the Motherland
The Russian Ministry of Trade has published a list of the best Russian exporters in 1998. Not a single large company in the fuel and energy complex, whose products account for at least 40% of all Russian exports, was on this list.

“We just want to separate the wheat from the chaff,” Vladimir Bakhtin, executive secretary of the council of industry associations and exporters under the Russian Ministry of Trade, outlined the goal of the “Best Exporters of Russia” competition. And he explained that in the future, when selecting participants in various interstate programs, the Ministry of Trade will give preference to winning exporters.
At the first stage of the competition (at the beginning of 1999), the heads of industry associations, unions and associations named the best industry workers to the council (this year there were 98 of them). At the second stage, according to the terms of the competition, each of the declared applicants for the title of “Best Exporter of Russia” had to submit to the council a copy of the balance sheet and financial performance report for 1998, a bank certificate confirming the applicant’s solvency and compliance with the requirements for the timely sale of the established the amount of foreign exchange earnings. The final list included exporters with the best financial performance.
The ceremony for presenting honorary diplomas will take place in the second half of June. But the list, which includes 54 companies recognized as the best exporters, can be found today (see table). As we can see, Russian raw materials (timber, metal), mineral fertilizers (the production of which in Russia is cheap) and such traditional export goods as diamonds and sturgeon caviar are still in demand on the foreign market. But high-tech products (electric motors, avionics, etc.) are in demand only in Asia, Africa and the CIS.
It is curious that there are almost no fuel and energy companies on the list. The Ministry of Fuel and Energy explains the sluggishness of the largest Russian exporters: “There are many competitions, and companies take part in those that they consider necessary.” One of the largest oil companies offered its own version: “We do not yet see the need to take part in such competitions, since we are dealing with more serious problems - attracting investments, paying salaries to employees.” However, it is possible that the oil workers are simply lying. Hydrocarbon exporters want to be known as unmercenary so that the state does not encroach on their income. One can imagine how complicated the relations of any oil company with fiscal authorities would be if it were suddenly recognized as the best exporter.
Meanwhile, the companies included in the list do not hide their satisfaction. Director for Foreign Economic Relations of Cheboksary Electrical Equipment Plant OJSC Gennady Komissarov said: “As a rule, mention of this kind of victory has a good effect on relationships with partners.” And this is not surprising. If a company is included in the list, it means that the exporter is more or less in order with the law. According to Vladimir Bakhtin, “all the winners of the competition underwent a special check for connections with criminal structures. No such connections were found.”

ALEXEY KHODORYCH, NIKOLAY POLUEKTOV

Newspaper "Kommersant" No. 93 dated 06/02/1999, p. 8

Authors:

Alexey Khodorych